Running Together
by CSIMel
Summary: Out of all the wannabe hero's, you were the one that had to rescue me. Set 10 years after X3, Kitty and Pyro have an unexpected meeting. Kyro.
1. Ten Years

**RUNNING TOGETHER**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing worth mentioning. **

**Rating: M/PG 13, which ever applies to you. Just a bit of swearing for effect. **

**Timeframe: Set ten years after X3. Slightly AU. **

**A/N: This is my first Kyro fic; in fact, this is my first X-Men fic. I usually write crime show fanfics, so this is a little out of my writing comfort zone, and everything I know about the X-Men world is from the movies. I have absolutely no knowledge of the comic book world. I hope you guys enjoy this, review and let me know.

* * *

**

_When the dust has settled,_

_What will become of the world as we know it?_

_When everything seems right, certain and straightforward,_

_What will send it crashing down?_

_Love, hate, anger, pain –_

_Emptiness._

_Uniting to fight feelings, to fight fear._

_To fight the past.

* * *

_

"Great job everyone! Go home and get some rest."

In a way, fighting fires was like a war. Both enemies depend on oxygen for their survival, both are made of hydrogen and atoms and both posses weaknesses. Their own personal downfalls.

Fire was unpredictable, just like people. You don't know which direction it would go, or when it would send a wall of concrete at you, without mercy or second thought. It would fight with a burning intensity, destroying everything in its path.

Fire didn't feel, it didn't cry out with pain. It didn't leave behind loved ones, a life, or a past. It didn't beg for forgiveness before you destroyed it. It didn't plague your sleep with nightmares, reminding you of how many you had killed and destroyed.

You could go home at the end of the day, knowing that everyone is safe. That for once, people are on _your_ side. The only casualty was the fire itself.

From being one of the most hated species on the planet, to one of the most trusted. How ironic.

_He could control the fire, but he couldn't create it._

That used to bother John Alderdyce, AKA 'Pyro', but many years had passed since he felt the overwhelming urge to create it. Instead, he controlled it, making it disappear into nothing but ash and memories. It didn't give him the same thrill and sense of power than throwing balls of fire at his enemy, but alcohol and cigarettes can have tremendous healing effects, filling the void. He still carried his Zippo lighter, but it served a different purpose; a reminder of what he _used_ to be, a reminder of what he _could_ be.

John didn't know why he did what he did. The idea of helping people, saving lives felt hypocritical, after all the crappy things he'd done.

Maybe he was subconsciously trying to make amends; a form of penance for his days of merciless destruction. Prove to everyone that you don't have to be a 'X-Man' to do some good in the world, prove the Brotherhood that he could survive on his own. Maybe he was just trying to prove something to himself.

His life since the battle had been empty. Most of the Brotherhood had been killed, many captured and cured. The ones that did survive unscathed scattered, going into hiding, waiting until the day that they regroup and destroy the human world. John wasn't holding his breath. Their 'fearless leader' had been rendered powerless by the one thing they had been fighting for, and since then, new, more effective cures and antidotes had been invented. Hell, some clinic in L.A even claimed to have developed a 12-step program to eliminate mutant abilities. Like quitting smoking and losing weight. Some people were idiots.

John wasn't going to be the guy to reinvent the Brotherhood. As shitty as the world may be; as shitty as his life may be, he still had his powers, and that was enough for him. He wasn't the type of guy to fight for mutant-kind; he relied on himself and himself only. He had to look out for number one.

"Go home, Alderdyce," the chief commanded, "get some rest."

Home? Relax?

John had no home. The one place he'd even considered a _home_, he had turned his back on long ago. Turned his back on his friends, his teachers, his safe haven, and for what? Some crazy old guy on a power trip pretending to fight for a cause? Now he was on the wanted lists of every major American government security agency.

You can't relax when you don't know when your time is going to be up, or when your dreams are plagued by nightmare from your past.

You just can't.

* * *

"Excuse me, Miss, do you have the latest Danielle Steel novel?"

The young woman sighed and smiled politely, explaining to the woman they didn't stock 'those' books. If she had to explain once more that they were a _rare_ bookstore, she was pretty sure she'd throw a book at someone's head.

This was Katherine 'Kitty' Pryde's life; ignorant customers or just being ignored.

A situation that was very different to where she was ten years ago, at Alcatraz.

She didn't use her powers anymore.

There wasn't any reason to since she left the school and decided to blend into the 'real' world.

That was five years ago.

Sure, she tried to stay there, but things are easier said than done. After the battle, they'd returned to the school, and things had _tried_ to return to normal. But they couldn't and they wouldn't. So Kitty graduated early, getting early acceptance into college, which she flew through. She had a degree in biochemistry and made a feeble attempt at teaching, but she couldn't – it was far too painful. Then one day, she packed up her belongings and left – no warnings, no goodbyes, nothing. And she hadn't looked back since.

A lot of good a degree does when you work in a bookstore.

Kitty could get a job in a laboratory, but the solitude and quietness brought her comfort. She could escape from her old life; forget what she was. People wouldn't look at her like she was a freak; instead they didn't look at her at all. Which was a hell of a lot better than people trying to kill you.

Rogue, or Marie since she had gotten cured, told her she was running away. Away from what?

Alcatraz? Her past? Her abilities?

Rogue may have been her friend, but Kitty was not going to be lectured by a hypocrite. Someone who had 'sold out' her abilities just to make out with some guy. In hindsight, Kitty realised she had been slightly hasty to express this to her 'friend', more than likely prompted by bitterness and jealousy she felt. Needless to say, this was the end of her friendship with Rogue, leaving her completely and utterly alone.

Kitty could get the cure, but what was the point? She didn't want to be normal, but she didn't want to be a mutant either.

All she wanted to do was phase into the background of normality.

Kitty locked up the bookstore, pulled her jean jacket tight around her shoulder and started to walk home.

A cat meowed in the distance, breaking the silence of her thoughts. She jumped at the sound, for a split second it sounded like a scream. A psychological scar from Alcatraz, Kitty would sometimes hear or see things that weren't there. It pierced the stillness of the night – a mental reminder of the things she had seen and done. A reminder that at seventeen, when she was supposed to be more worried about boys and exams, she had fought for her existence, everything she stood for.

Everything she was beginning to doubt.

The war had made her cynical; she had lost everything – her naivety, her innocence, her dreams.

_Head down, hands in pockets, keep walking, don't look up._

Kitty was running. She had been running for the last ten years. It was no way to live, she knew this. But she knew that sooner or later her past would catch up her and when it did, all hell would break loose.

What did she have to blame? Her mutation, the school, the Brotherhood, Alcatraz, the freaking cure.

The humans that wanted to destroy her because they feared what they couldn't understand.

What they didn't even attempt to understand.

And she hated them for it.

* * *

"Hey sweetheart, want some company?"

Kitty looked up, surprised. Two men were walking on either side of her.

"I'm fine, thanks," Kitty replied, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. She racked her brain trying to remember whether she'd packed a pocketknife in her bag. Nope she didn't.

The two men leered at her.

"You don't look fine, what's your name, darling?"

Kitty, silently cursing the fact she'd decided to take a short cut home, didn't answer and quickened her pace.

"Answer us when we're talking to you!" One of the men yelled, slapping Kitty and sending her flying to the ground.

"Hey!"

All three spun around.

* * *

John quickened his pace. Why were there so many wannabe thugs in New York? He jogged over to where two guys stood and a girl lay.

"What the fuck do you want?" One of the men growled.

"Leave her the fuck alone!" John demanded.

"Oh yeah," one snarled, "Who's going to make us – _fireman_."

John forgot he still had his uniform jacket on. But that wasn't going to stop him from beating the shit out of these two thugs.

He took a swing, punching one square in the jaw. The other went to attack, but John got to him first, kicking him in the gut.

"Let's go," One of the men said, clutching his jaw and glaring at John, "the bitch isn't worth it."

The two staggered off.

"Hey, lady, are you alright?" John asked, standing over her and feeling slightly uncomfortable.

She slowly got to her feet and looked him in the eye.

"Thanks…" She hesitated for a moment, then stared at him incredulously, "John?"

John looked the woman up and down and smirked.

"Why, hello Kitten."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it. This is a two-part fic, so the second should be up in a couple of days, tops.**

**Please review, your criticism (good or bad) can make a teenage girl smile.**


	2. Aftermath

**RUNNING TOGETHER**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing worth mentioning. **

**Rating: M/PG 13, which ever applies to you. Just a bit of swearing for effect. **

**Timeframe: Set ten years after X3. Slightly AU.**

**A/N: Wow! I was so surprised by the response to the first chapter…it was all so positive. Thanks everyone for their lengthy reviews, something I'm not really accustomed to in the other fandoms I write for. **

**BTW, I am so embarrassed that I spelt John's surname wrong! That's just a sign at how much research I did for this fic – absolutely none. But I did read a bunch of other fics to get a grasp of the characters.**

**Anyhoo, on with the story!

* * *

**

"Out of all the wannabe hero's, you were the one that had to rescue me!" Kitty scowled, brushing the dirt of her jeans.

"Comes with the territory," John shrugged, still smirking.

Kitty glanced at the jacket.

"Fire fighter. Figures."

"You know how I love saving 'kittens'," John lit up a cigarette.

"Hilarious." Kitty rolled her eyes.

"So, you alright then?" He asked, looking around.

"Yep."

"Good to hear."

"So…"

There was a pause.

"Well, thanks, John. Take care." Kitty started to make her way down the street."

John started following.

"What are you doing?" Kitty spun around.

"I'm walking you home." He answered pointedly, as though he did it every day.

"I can look after myself." She snapped.

"So when you were lying on the ground, that was all part of my imagination," John smirked.

"I was caught of guard," Kitty defended, "I could've phased it."

"Of course you could." John replied, now walking beside her.

Kitty sighed. Arguing with John was a lost cause, so she decided to let him waste his time and walk her home.

After a couple of minutes, Kitty spoke up.

"Just so we get this clear, I'm not going to have sex with you," Kitty stated, crossing her arms.

"Excuse me?" John asked, taken aback.

"You know, as your 'reward' for saving me. So you can just go home." Kitty snapped.

"For fucks sake, Kitty, I didn't do what I did so I can fucking have sex with you!" John exclaimed, "In some societies what I did is human decency."

"So is that was you are now, John?" Kitty questioned, "A decent human?"

"I guess you could say that," John shrugged.

"And the 'fire fighter' thing is all part of it." She snapped.

"You know me, Kitten," John laughed bitterly, "saving the world one fire at a time."

"You're right about one thing, Allerdyce," Kitty replied, turning to face him, "I do know you and I don't believe you became a fire fighter to save lives."

John kept walking, forcing Kitty to jog to reach him.

"Enlighten me."

"For you, it's about the power, about the control. Knowing that not only can you save lives, you can destroy them. It's just a game to you. It's not about making amends for all the evil you've done. It's about the respect you commanded as a member of the Brotherhood. The respect you now command as a fire fighter." Kitty finished.

John stopped walking and stood menacingly over Kitty. He looked the same – just older. His hair was longer and he seemed a bit taller. John was standing close to her; he smelled of smoke and cheap cologne and she could see the stubble on his jaw.

In a way, he looked different. His eyes weren't as cocky and his smirk wasn't as wide. His 'rebel with a cause' attitude had long faded, replaced with defeat. He looked tired, tired from his job. Tired from running.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he whispered angrily.

"Same motive, different crowd…_Pyro_," she laughed bitterly.

"And what about you, Katherine," he shot back, "You moved from the school to the city. You work in a bookstore when you have the abilities to do anything you want. When are you going to stop trying to phase into the fucking background and live a little!"

She took a step back. He'd hit a nerve and she was fighting back tears. She still looked small and helpless, but the fighting spirit she once possessed was replaced with sadness. She looked tired. Tired from running.

John felt a twinge of guilt, and was surprised by what he said next.

"I didn't mean to – to say that."

"Yes you did," Kitty started walking, "we both did."

Then it hit him.

"You got the cure, didn't you?" He asked, grabbing her arm.

"No," Kitty shrugged him off, "I didn't."

"Oh," John said, "I just thought…"

"I know," Kitty nodded, "but to 'phase into the background' as you put it, I need to be able to 'phase'."

John smirked in response.

They kept walking in silence.

"Why did you leave?" Kitty asked suddenly.

John shrugged.

"Dunno, just a dumb punk kid with nothing to loose, I guess."

"Seriously?"

"At Alkali Lake, I thought I was going to die," John answered simply, "I didn't understand why Xavier was trying to help those who constantly wanted to destroy us. It made no sense. Magneto gave me a choice – stay and fight for those who wanted us dead or go with him and fight those who wanted us dead. So I went with him."

"Everyone called you a traitor," Kitty stated, carefully watching his reaction, "said that one day you'd come crawling back."

"I wasn't the traitor," John said angrily, "you guys were! We weren't fighting the 'X-Men'; we were fighting the cure and those that created it. We were trying to destroy it!"

"The cure was just a kid!" Kitty exclaimed.

"There are always casualties in war," he shrugged carelessly.

"Fuck you, John!" Kitty yelled.

"Right back at you, Kitten!" John snarled.

They walked in silence, both fuming.

"We're not that different, you and me," John muttered, still fuming.

"I am nothing like you!" Kitty snapped.

"I know, you're good, I'm evil, I think we've established that," John muttered, "I mean why we left."

"The Brotherhood fell apart, John," Kitty sighed.

"Even if it hadn't, I would've left."

"Why?"

"Magneto lost his powers, Xavier was dead. They were the leaders with the vision – the ones who inspired us all!" John cried, "The battle at Alcatraz was just the beginning – Magneto saw that. But even if we won, _they'd_ keep fighting. We were fighting a lost cause!"

Kitty looked up at John, eyes shining.

"What about hope?"

"Hope?" John answered quietly, "How can hope help if your 'fearless' leaders are rendered helpless, your friends are dying and the woman who used to make you soup when you were sick is destroying the world all around you."

"That's no way to live, John," Kitty yelled, "A life without hope makes you bitter. Look at yourself – you're running from what you really are!"

"What were we?" John demanded, "We were just a couple of kids fighting for our right to live! Look in the fucking mirror, Kitten, I'm not the only one running."

Kitty ran a hand through her hair. A small 'X' was visible on her wrist. She looked as though she was about to break.

"I – I…" she stumbled over her words, tears streaming down her face.

John then did something he never thought he'd ever do. He pulled Kitty into a hug, letting her sob against his chest.

"I never asked for any of this!" she said tearfully.

"Neither did I," John muttered bitterly, "but we are what we are."

"I used to think I knew why we were fighting – what we were fighting for," Kitty said sadly, "it doesn't matter how many laws and bills they pass – mutants will never be accepted."

"That's why we've got to stick together, Kitten," John joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Kitty gave a small chuckle.

"In your dreams, Allerdyce," she whispered "we're 'loners', we can't be alone together."

"I knew there was a reason you were the top of the class," John nudged her.

"What happened to us," Kitty mumbled, "how did we end up like this, bitter and running from our pasts?"

"War." He answered simply, "War changes people. In our case, there's no holidays, or parades, or medals. Just nightmares."

They continued to walk in silence. She stopped in front of a small apartment building.

"This is me," Kitty said softly.

John stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Well," he said, looking around, "take care, Kitten, I'll guess I'll se you next time you need saving."

He started to walk off, but Kitty grabbed his arm.

"Wait!"

He turned to face her, desperation in her eyes.

"Do you - do you want to come in?" she asked hesitantly.

"I thought you said…" he trailed off.

"I don't want to be alone." Kitty stated simply.

At the end of the day, that was what they both were – alone. They were tired of coming home to their empty apartments, living their empty lives.

"Okay." He answered, following her up.

And he might not have realised it that night, or next day, week, month, but Kitty did give him something.

She gave him hope.

Sure, they were running, but they were running together.

* * *

**A/N: So that's the end. I hope you all enjoyed that and thanks again for your generous reviews. I have a couple of oneshots in the works, so I hope to post another story soon. Thanks again, you guys rock!**

**Please review. Your reviews make a teenage girl smile.**


End file.
